File cabinet



Jan. W, 1950 J. A. WINSKOWICZ 2,494,523

FILE CABINET Filed June 1, 1946 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Jan. 10, 1950 J. A. WINSKOWICZ FILE CABINET 5 Sheets$heet 2 Filed June 1, 1946 Jan. 1%, 1950 J. A. WINSKOWICZ FJILE CABINET 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed June 1, 1946 INVENTOR. 2% Q. 7?

Jan. 10, 195% I J. A. WINSKOWICZ FILE CABINET 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed June 1, 1946 If/VENTOR. Q mmaxn' Jan. 10, 195% J. A. WINSKOWICZ 2,494,528

FILE CABINET Filed June 1, 1946 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Jan. 10, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FILE CABINET John A. Winskowicz, Danvers, Mass, assignor to Craig Machine, Inc., Danvers, Mass, at corporation of Massachusetts Application June 1, 1946, Serial No. 673,822

4 Claims.

My invention relates to cabinets adapted to house twosets of files of difierent character. For example, it may be desired to place active records, or records of incomplete transactions, in a common unit but separately from inactive records, or records of completed transactions. Although not limited to such use, my invention has particular application to the problem of providing storage space for account records of the type maintained by large retail stores for billing purposes. It is found in practice that there is a large number of accounts which are more or less continuously active as well as another 'large group of accounts active at rare intervals only.

The most important object of my invention is to provide a conveniently arranged cabinet providing space suitable for the housing of active records as well as space for drawers or trays containing the cards or records of relatively inactive accounts.

A further object of the invention is to provide an efficient and convenient file cabinet which can be built much more cheaply than equipment heretofore available for the purpose without departing from the necessary standard of durability and stoutness.

An important feature of the invention resides in a cabinet provided with means housing a number of relatively long normally exposed drawers and a carriage for a number of relatively shorter trays or drawers adapted ordinarily to be concealed and protectedand yet capable of being pulled out to exposed positions.

Another feature of the invention consists in a drawer provided in its bottom wall with a longitudinal depression having substantially vertical slots for th reception of one or more wobble plates or dividers which ensure a V-shaped separation of the contents of the drawer to facilitate inspection thereof.

Another feature of the invention resides in a sliding hinged cover which may either be pushed forward to encompass and protect the drawers or may be folded and pushed inwardly out of sight within thehousing supported on the frame, thus permitting easy access to the drawers from the sides as well as from the front of the cabinet.

These and other objects and features of the invention will be more readily understood and appreciatec from the following detailed description 2 of a preferred embodiment thereof selected for purposes of illustration and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which- Fig. l is a view in perspective of a file cabinet constructed in accordance with the invention and shown in open or operative position,

Fig. 2 is a view in perspective of the cabinet showing the cover in closed position,

Fig. 3 is a view in side elevation showing the relationship of the frame and one of the drawers,

Fig. 4 is a view in front elevation with portions broken away to show interior construction, and

Fig. 5 is a view in perspective showing one of the.drawers with portions thereof broken away to reveal the details of construction.

The cabinet of my invention is organized about a supporting frame composed preferably of steel tubing and having a rectangular top frame "I supported by four legs 12 connected by transverse braces l4. Secured to the frame In is a long rectangular housing iii of steel of other suitable sheet material dimensioned to cover about half the depth of the frame Ill and open at the front.

Fitting snugly within the housing I6 is a sliding cover having vertical side walls I8, a flat top 20 and a sloping front wall 22 secured to the top 20 by means of a piano hinge 24. As shown in Fig. 4, the four lower corners of the side walls I8 are provided with rollers 28 mounted on pivot pins 30 and maintained against lateral translation by means of small spacers 26. The rollers 28 run in grooves or tracks formed by bent strips of steel 29 welded or otherwise secured to the frame It. Thus the cover as a whol may be moved in and out on the rollers 28. As will be apparent from Figs. 1 and 2, the front 22 may be folded back upon the top 20 and the cover pushed back until it is substantially entirely contained within the housing or cabinet It. When the cover is pulled forward and the front 22 is swung down, the cover in efiect forms a continuation of the housing l6 which encloses all of the space above the frame It]. Spanning the frame II] from front to rear is a pair of I-shaped channel irons 32 which run parallel to and adjacent the side members of the frame [0. There is also provided three inner I- shaped channel irons 34 also spanning the frame 10 from front to rear and arranged in spaced parallel relation. A sliding carriage comprising vertical tubular fram members 36 and flat top frame 38 also of tubular form carries at each of its four lower corners a pivotally mounted roller 40 which runs on the outside track of each of the outer channel irons 32. I provide a handle 42 secured to the front end of the flat top 38 by means of which the carriage may be pulled out and pushed in with respect to the frame In and the housing ii. In its inner position the carriage is entirely contained within the housing It; when the carriage is puled out, it is substantially entirely exposed to view. The skeleton form of the carriage is sufliciently rugged for efficient performance and yet is very light and easy to make.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in the drawing I have employed four relatively long drawers or trays 44. although any desired number may be used. In the front wall of each drawer there is an elongated sight hole 46 in alignment with a similar sight hole provided in the rear wall of the drawer, as shown in Fig. 1. Referring now to Fig. it will be seen that each drawer is provided with a bottom wall presenting two relatively narrow depressions or valleys adjacent the side walls and bounded by a raised portion 52 which in turn bound a central valley 54. The sides of the central valley '54 are provided with oppositel disposed downwardly diverging slots 56 which receive a wobble plate or dividing partition 53 provided with a sight hole 60 which is aligned with the sight holes 46 and 48 in the front and rear walls of the drawer. The wobble plate 33 may be placed in any of the opposite pairs of slots 56 and has a central depending portion engaging the slots and received in the valley 54. The raised portions 52 support the bottom of the plate 60. The downwardly diverging walls of the slots 56 in eifect provide for a limited pivotal mounting of the plate 60. If one or more wobble plates are used they can be flipped either forward or backwards to suit the convenience of the operator and assist in maintaining "the papers in the file in more easily accessible condition.

The combination of the slots 56 and the wobble plates form one of the most important features of the invention. By spacing the front and rear slots a substantial distance from the adjacent end walls of the drawer, I make sure that the contents of the drawer will always separate easily leaving a V-shaped opening of about 60 compass. It will be evident that there will always be wobble plates in the front and back of the drawer, regardless of the number of wobble plates that ma be inserted at intermediate points. Consequently the distance along the top of the drawer available for the reception of records, cards, and the like will always be greater than the distance between the bottoms of the front and rear wobble plates. This difference ensures the proper V-shaped opening. also be noted that a wobble plate may easily be picked out of its slot and re-inserted at any desired position along the bottom of the drawer. This permits the operator to confine the records suitably and keep pace with expansions and contractions in the records. For example, when the drawers are used for cycle billing files, some of the drawers will be stuffed to capacity with sales slips inserted adjacent the appropriate acvii It will tlon of portions of the accounts filed in the drawers. That is to say, as the total files expand and contract it may be necessary to move portions of the files from drawer to drawer in order to maintain a proper distribution. For this purpose the files lying between any two wobble plates may be removed with the plates as a unit and thereafter placed in another drawer without disarrangement. The provision for the V-shaped opening is of extreme importance, since it permits the operator to flip a wobble plate, turn the records or cards to a given location and thereafter inspect the contents of any one account file without having to hold the file open with one hand. Furthermore the operator may leave the file open to a particular account record while called away on other duties; the file will remain undisturbed and opened at the proper place until the operator makes a different adjustment.

Furthermore the wobble plate arrangement shown results in always tilting the cards or records at an angle permitting clear visibility of the indices. Also, when the clerk flips the cards in a drawer to any given condition, the wide U -shaped opening permits inspection of the entire face of the exposed card or record. Finally, the inverted v-shape of the slots tends to prevent the wobble plates from slippin out of position as the contents of the drawer are flipped back and forth during posting or billing operations.

The side of each drawer 44 at the rear corner is provided with a pivotally mounted roller 62 which runs in the tracks on the channel irons 32 or 34. That is to say, the three inner channel irons 34 present tracks for the rollers on adjacent drawers, whereas the outer channel irons 32 provide at their inner side for the drawer rollers 62 and on their outer sides for the carriage rollers 48.

The frame 10 is provided with a plurality of U-shaped brackets 64 spanning the frame from front to rear arranged in spaced parallel relation, and providing a mounting for a plurality of rollers 66 pivotally mounted on pins 68 journalled in the sides of the brackets 64. The rollers 66 are so arranged as to underlie the outer valleys 50 provided in-the bottom walls of each of the drawers 44. Disposed about half way between the front and rear members of the frame I0 is a plurality of rollers 10 mounted in similar fashion to the rollers 66 in the brackets 64 and arranged to underlie the valleys 50 on the bottoms'of the drawers 44 approximately at the midpoint of the drawers when they are pushed fully in. Each drawer, therefore, slides on the rollers 66 and 10 carried by the frame III as well as upon the rollers 62 secured to the drawers and running in the tracks on the I-shaped channel irons 32 and 34.

In order that the drawers 44 may not be inadvertently pulled entirely from the supporting frame, I provide, as shown in Fig 3, a pair of stop members secured to the two channel irons 34 which lie on either side of the center channel iron 34. The two stops thus control all four drawers. Each of the stops comprises a. dog 14 pivotally mounted on a lug secured to the channel iron 34; the channel iron is partially. cut away on both sides to accommodate the dog M. The dog carries a pair of oppositely disposed flanges 16 which lie in the track of the rollers 62 carried by the adjacent drawers. Lips l5 struck inwardly from the dog 14 prevent the lower end of the dog from being lifted above the level of the top of the channel iron. In Fig. 3 the roller 62 shown in dotted lines has been moved considerably forward with respect to the drawer 44 in order to show its engagement with the flange 16; it is to be understood that the roller 62 would not engage the flange '16 until the drawer had been pulled out several inches beyond the front of the frame I 0. An integral part of the dog 14 is a rearwardly inclined finger lift I8. By raising the finger lift '18, the dog is elevated to permit the roller 62 to travel forwardly; after the roller has cleared the dog, the drawer may be entirely disengaged from the frame. The finger lift 18 is rearwardly inclined so that the dog will not be moved to an operative position in the event an object falls upon it. It should be noted that the upper flange on each of the channel irons is trimmed on? adjacent the forward end. This is done to permit a drawer 44 to be inserted on the frame from above and eliminates the necessity for juggling the drawer until the rollers 62 are precisely located with respect to the tracks on the channel irons.

Supported on the carriage 38 are four relatively short trays 82. They are not individually slidable, but move as a quadruple unit with the carriage. It i contemplated that active accounts will be housed in the drawers 44 and that each account will be posted upon a card provided with a sight hole in line with the apertures 46, 48 and 60. When sales slips are received they will be inserted either in front of or behind the appropriate account card. When the sales slips have been posted for billing, they will be removed from the files; thus it will be possible to determine whether there is any unbilled material in a drawer by sighting through the front aperture 46. If there is nothing in the drawer, the observer will see through to the back wall of the cabinet [6, otherwise his vision will be interrupted. The short trays or drawers 82 may be used to contain account cards which are relatively inactive. Means (not shown) normally lock the short trays to the carriage, but they may be removed bodily if desired.

One important advantage resulting from the construction described is the fact that the cover may be pushed out of the way when the cabinet is in use. The sides [8 are substantially entirely contained within the housing 16, which permits the operator to work from the sides of the cabinet. It is contemplated that several cabinets will be lined up as a battery and that one clerk will handle accounts kept in a plurality of adjacent cabinets. If the side walls it were always in extended position or were replaced by conventional fixed partitions. access to the drawers would be seriously impaired, and the clerk would have to work from a position directly in front of the cabinet.

The invention includes the general arrangement of the parts above discussed but is not limited to the details shown. Modifications may be desirable for particular types of filing systems and will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art.

Having now disclosed and illustrated an w bodiment of the invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A file cabinet comprising a support, a cabinet mounted on said support, a plurality of drawers mounted to slide on said support in and out of said cabinet, a plurality of trays, a carriage overhanging said drawers and mounted on said support for movement in and out of said cabinet, the said carriage supporting the said trays and so constructed and arranged as to leave free access to the said drawers when the said carriage is at the limit of its movement inwards, a housing slidably mounted above said carriage and on said support for movement in and out of said cabinet, and a pivotally mounted cover secured to said housing.

2. A file cabinet comprising a support, a plurality of I-shaped channel irons mounted on said support, a plurality of drawers slidably mounted on said channel irons, a housing secured to said support overhanging the rear portions of said drawers, a carriage mounted so as to slide in the disengaged channel of the two laterally outermost channel irons on said support and overhanging said drawers but normally contained within said housing leaving free access to the said drawers, and a cover slidably mounted on said support and movable from a position enclosing the forward ends of said drawers to a position substantially entirely within said housing and above said carriage.

3. A file cabinet comprising a support, a housing mounted on the support and overhanging substantially the rear half of the support, a plurality of drawers mounted to slide on said support in and out of said housing, a cover having side and top walls mounted to slide on said support in and out of said housing and over said drawers, said cover being dimensioned to be contained substantially entirely within said housing when pushed in, a frame slidably mounted on the said support to lie above and parallel to the said drawers but within the said housing, a plurality of trays mounted on the said frame, the said frame and trays being dimensioned to permit free access to the said drawers when the frame is at the inmost position of its slide.

4. The structure defined in claim 3 with the addition of a front wall hinged to the top wall of said cover and arranged either to be folded flat on the upper surface of said top wall or to hang across the forward ends of said drawers.

' JOHN A. WINSKOWICZ.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 245,486 Hafgar Aug. 9, 1881 1,429,697 Schultz Sept. 19, 1922 1,764,612 Dickenson June 17, 1930 1,993,477 Gourley et al Mar. 5, 1935 2,109,689 Clark et al. Mar. 1, 1939 2,233,938 Jones Mar. 4, 1941 2,326,029 Grunt Aug. 3, 1943 

